Matt Barkley is fighting. Saturday in USC's final scrimmage before starting the regular season, Barkley fought the service team defense. He fought off the memories of two poor performances in earlier scrimmages, and most importantly, he fought himself.

There were a few hiccups along the way, but Barkley looked sharp leading USC to a 36-0 win over the scout team in USC's final scrimmage before the season opener against San Jose State in a week.

USC head coach Pete Carroll said the Barkley, who completed 10-of-17 passes for 159 yards, an interception and a touchdown, still has to learn when to cut his losses.

"That's what all quarterbacks have to fix," Carroll said. "All quarterbacks have to stop trying so hard. They have to minimize the loss in a situation by not trying too hard. That will continue to be an issue."